Matrix, The (1999)

Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), who goes by the hacker alias ‘Neo’, is a regular guy working in a cubicle whilst doing some hacking in his spare time.

One day he is contacted by another hacker, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who tells him that Morpheus (Laurence Fishburn) will be able to reveal the truth about ‘The Matrix’, a term Neo has been encountering repeatedly online.

When meeting Morpheus, Neo is given a choice of taking one of two pills; if he takes the blue pill, all will go on as it did before and he will forget about their meeting but if he takes the red pill, Neo will learn the truth and nothing, Morpheus promises, will ever be the same again.

Neo chooses the red pill and wakes up in a futuristic dystopian nightmare where machines have taken over the world, enslaved nearly everybody and created a massive artificial intelligence illusion (the world Neo knew before taking the red pill and always assumed to be real).

They do so by keeping mankind asleep and using their bodies to produce energy. But Morpheus and his small group of resistance fighters, who live outside of the Matrix, think Neo might be the prophesied “One”, who will be able to break the Matrix and restore freedom for mankind.

Meanwhile, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) – a sentient ‘agent’ software program designed by the machines to hunt down people outside the Matrix – is trying to stop Neo from ever fulfilling his destiny.

The Matrix was the Wachowski Brothers’ love letter to anime, science fiction, and actioned-packed Hong Kong cinema, combining an intricate storyline with mind-blowing set pieces.

The film will forever be associated with “bullet time” effects, where the camera moves at regular speed through scenes taking place in extreme slow-motion.

The Matrix won four Academy Awards (Best Editing, Sound, Sound Effects and Special Effects) as well as Best Science Fiction Film and Best Director from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films.

A landmark blockbuster, which spawned two extremely disappointing – albeit technically breathtaking – sequels.

Thomas Anderson (Neo) 
Keanu Reeves
Morpheus
Laurence Fishburne
Trinity
Carrie-Anne Moss
Agent Smith
Hugo Weaving
Cypher
Joe Pantoliano
Oracle
Gloria Foster
Tank
Marcus Chong
Apoc
Julian Arahanga
Mouse
Matt Doran
Switch
Belinda McClory
Dozer
Anthony Ray Parker
Agent Brown
Paul Goddard
Agent Jones
Robert Taylor
Rhineheart
David Aston
Choi
Marc Gray
Dujour
Ada Nicodemou

Director
Andy Wachowski
Larry Wachowski